Stick out your Tongue! Learn how to Diagnose your own tongue through Chinese Medicine

Stick out your Tongue! Learn how to Diagnose your own tongue through Chinese Medicine

Stick out your tongue! Why???
It’s actually an Ancient Diagnosis Technique in Chinese Medicine we still use today!

For this week’s blog I thought I would focus on the Tongue. I always get asked why I ask people to stick out their tongue at me, and it’s not for the reason of a rude gesture.

Tongue diagnosis is one of the main ways we can see what is happening internally with the health and constitution (we will discuss further methods in the future).

Color

pink = normal or minimal concern

pale = deficient cold, yang/qi deficient

red = heat (full or deficient)

dark red = extreme heat (common to see in menopausal women)

purple = stagnation/blockage

blue = severe internal cold

Shape

crooked/deviated to one side = wind

cracked = normal (from birth) or chronic internal illness

long = heat

swollen = dampness

thin = fluid deficient

trembelling = wind

Coat Color:

white = cold

yellow = heat

gray = internal heat or cold

black = severe condition

As you can see from the diagram, different areas of the tongue relate to different organ imbalances.

Lower Jiao

The Base of the tongue corresponds to the Kidney, Urinary Bladder, Large Intestine and Small Intestine Meridians.

Middle Jiao

The sides of the tongue correspond to the Liver and Gall Bladder meridians. Some theories place the Gall Bladder on the patients left side and the Liver on the patients right side.
The Middle of the tongue corresponds to the Stomach and Spleen Meridians.

Upper Jiao

The Tip of the tongue corresponds to the Lung and the Heart Meridians.
The next time you brush your teeth, Stick out your tongue and look in the mirror!
See if you can find out what your tongue says about your body!